Tie Ryan’s Pay Raise to Free-Speech Performance

Posted on March 14, 2022 by | 1 comment

Stanley K. Joynes III is a University of Virginia alumnus, College, Class of 1977 and Law, Class of 1981.

I recall the disgust many felt when the University of Virginia Board of Visitors decided not only to restore the modest pay cuts taken by President Ryan and his executive posse in mid-COVID, but then to award a bonus — the disgust centering around the asymmetry of their action in the face of the closures and bankruptcies of dozens (hundreds?) of local small businesses and the loss of jobs principally at the lower end of the pay scale. Continue reading →

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Posted in Governance

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Honor Code in Deep Trouble

Posted on March 10, 2022 by | 1 comment

The Jefferson Council President Bert Ellis took to the radio waves this morning to address the decline of the University of Virginia’s honor code. Listen to his remarks on WRVA’s John Reid Show.

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Posted in Honor code

No Woke-ism to See Here, Move Along Now: UVa Update

Posted on March 9, 2022 by | 4 comments

by James A. Bacon

As Woke-ism deniers ramp up their obfuscations of the implementation of Woke social-justice ideology in Virginia’s schools and colleges, the evidence keeps pouring in. Yesterday, a source forwarded to me the following communication by Elyse Girard (She/They) at the University of Virginia regarding the hiring of a new Dean for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Accessibility at the University of library.

Let’s set aside the fact that the library has managed up to now to vigorously pursue its vision of diversity and equity without the necessity of adding an associate dean to its payroll. (See “How Not to Create a Diverse, Welcoming Workplace.) This job application openly advertises ideological criteria for the job. Applicants must have “a sophisticated understanding of anti-racism, intersectionality, and social justice.” Continue reading →

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Posted in Leftist orthodoxy, Race, Equity and Diversity

Speech on Virginia Campuses Less Unfree than Elsewhere

Posted on March 9, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Free speech sign in front of George Mason statue at GMU.

by James A. Bacon

Three of Virginia’s universities scored in the top 25 in the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) 2021 annual free speech rankings of more than 150 higher-ed institutions across America, but Virginia Tech, once in the top 10, fell precipitously to the bottom third.

The College of William & Mary ranked 10th for free speech, George Mason University 12th, and the University of Virginia 22nd. Virginia Tech ranked 107th.

The rankings are relative. W&M, GMU and UVa score well compared to other institutions. Nevertheless, a significant percentage of students at all three institutions express discomfort with discussing controversial ideas and question the commitment of their university administrations to support free speech. With free speech and free expression under attack everywhere, it can be argued that Virginia institutions are the least bad of a bad lot.

Also, it is important to note that FIRE surveyed students, not faculty or staff. The findings do not reflect the disturbing trend at many higher-ed institutions — including UVa and W&M — of requiring job applicants and employees to submit written statements describing their commitment to the principles of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion as part of their evaluations. Continue reading →

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Posted in Freedom of speech and expression

A Disastrous Week for UVa

Posted on March 8, 2022 by | 7 comments

Open letter from Bert Ellis, president of The Jefferson Council, to members of the University of Virginia community.

Last week will go down as one of the worst weeks in the history of UVA.

The Honor Code is Effectively Dead

By a margin of over 4 to 1, UVA students voted in a referendum to permanently change the Honor System to eliminate expulsion as the sanction for an honor offense in favor of a two-semester leave of absence… the equivalent of a time out.

A 3rd year law student (who’s next stop on his path to save the world is to study global affairs at Beijing’s Tsinghau University) led this effort. In his view, the Honor System is inherently racist because more people of color or more international students are found guilty of honor offenses than their exact percentage of the UVA student population.

He argued, “we can no longer support a sanction that is historically allowed and could prospectively allow the most severe outcome to fall disproportionately on some communities more than others.” Continue reading →

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Posted in Governance, Honor code, Leftist orthodoxy

UVa Board Extends Ryan Contract for Three Years

Posted on March 7, 2022 by | 2 comments

UVa President James Ryan

by James A. Bacon

The University of Virginia Board of Visitors voted unanimously Friday to extend President Jim Ryan’s employment agreement for three years to 2028. His existing contract doesn’t expire until 2025.

“Jim Ryan has been a strong and focused leader for this community under extraordinary circumstances,” University Rector Whitt Clement said, as quoted by UVa Today. “We are pleased that he has agreed to this extension and look forward to what the institution will accomplish under his leadership in the coming years.”

UVA Today, the house communications organ of the Ryan administration, provided no explanation of why the Board thought it necessary to act now to extend a contract that lasts another three years, or why, if the Board was pleased with Ryan’s performance, it could not just pay him another bonus as stipulated in his contract. Last year, the Board granted Ryan a $200,000 bonus on top of his $695,000 salary. Continue reading →

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Posted in Board of Visitors

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Youngkin Decries Higher-Ed Cancel Culture

Posted on March 6, 2022 by | 2 comments

Governor Youngkin at a Jan. 27 press conference. Image credit: Associated Press

by James A. Bacon

Glenn Youngkin didn’t have much to say about “cancel culture” in Virginia’s colleges and universities when he was on the campaign trail, aiming his fire instead at radical social-justice policies in K-12 schools. But at a speech delivered at the University of Virginia law school Friday, he criticized intolerance in higher education and made the case for intellectual diversity on college campuses.

Vladimir Putin is a tyrant, Youngkin said in an address to The Federalist Society, but the greatest threat to American democracy does not come from abroad. Said he:

The greatest threat to our democracy comes from a growing tendency to loathe rather than listen. It comes from a desire to bully and not persuade. Such a culture of contempt, this cancel culture, is toxic to our democracy, and unless the schools that exist to teach our young people take responsibility for being a solution, our democracy will indeed be in danger.

Continue reading →

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Posted in Intellectual diversity, Leftist orthodoxy

Miyares to Address Jefferson Council

Posted on March 6, 2022 by | 2 comments

Jason Miyares

The Jefferson Council is pleased to announce that Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares will address the Council’s inaugural meeting April 5. The new AG has displayed a keen interest in the University of Virginia, and we are eager to hear what he has to say.

If you haven’t registered yet, please do.

We have heard reports from alumni who found our online registration process to be confusing. We recommend you mail checks — $140 per guest — to this address:

The Jefferson Council
c/o Wilgis, Darrell & Associates, Inc.
P.O. Box 401
Riderwood, MD, 21139-0401

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Revisiting the Founding Debates

Posted on March 2, 2022 by | Leave a comment

There are still islands of intellectual diversity at the University of Virginia. One of them is an active Federalist Society. On March 4 & 5, the society is hosting an event, “The Federalists Vs. the Anti-Federalists: Revisiting the Founding Debates.” States the event summary:

Many who study the Founding focus only on The Federalist Papers. Of course, the Federalists “won” in that they supported the eventually ratified Constitution. But the Anti-Federalists were the other half of the story. Their concerns framed the debate. And, although they “lost,” they are responsible for our Bill of Rights. This symposium will provide an opportunity to revisit the founding debates and discuss the arguments for and against our Constitution.

The symposium will host six debates/panels on significant constitutional issues: Continue reading →

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Posted in Intellectual diversity

UVa Needs Facts and Reason, Not an Opinion Survey

Posted on March 2, 2022 by | 1 comment

by Charles L. Weber, Jr.

Recently Jim Bacon argued that the University of Virginia needs to conduct another Climate Survey to compare the results with the one conducted in 2018. He argued as follows:

The premise of the Ryan administration is that making African-Americans feel more welcome at UVa requires rooting out the racism endemic in the old system, and the only way to extirpate that racism is to make “anti-racism” (as defined by leftists) the university’s number-one, all-consuming preoccupation. If that premise is correct, then one would expect African-Americans to give higher scores in a survey given today.

But there is a different view: that the obsession with race feeds the sense of minority victimhood, grievance and alienation, and encourages minorities to be hyper-sensitive in their interactions with others. In this view, the predictable result is that Blacks will feel less welcome and experience less belonging — precisely the opposite of what President Ryan wants to achieve.

There is only one way to find out: conduct another survey.

It’s high time we find out whether the sweeping changes implemented by [President Jim] Ryan are having the desired effect.

Color me skeptical. Continue reading →

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